It’s that time of year–the Mountain State Fair is coming! Join us for stories about going to the fair, plus free activities. Perfect for pre-readers and early readers. At the story time, get a game card with sights to find at the Mountain State Fair (which runs Sept 10-19).

Bring your completed cards back to Spellbound when the fair is over (by Saturday, September 25th) and we’ll draw two completed game cards. The kids who completed them get signed copies of Fabulous Fair Alphabet by Debra Frasier! Suggested for ages 3 to 7 years. Free to enter.

Alphabet letters of all sorts of shapes and sizes and styles–from blinking neon ones, to unusual old-style graphic ones to rustic hand-painted ones have been photographed and collaged together into an exuberant, eye-popping, letter-and-word-finding tour of the glories of the state fair. Bursting with with bright, bold illustrations of favorite fair elements like dill pickles and Ferris wheels and midway games, here is an alphabet-exploring adventure like no other!

There are two great new books about ladybugs that we just love, so what better better way to show them off than a special story time all about our favorite spotted insect friend? We’ll make ladybug antennae and wings to wear while we listen to the stories and enjoy other fun, creative activities. Free. Suggested for ages 3 to 8. Limited to ten kids. Please call, email, or come by to reserve a space ahead of time.

Brand New Ladybug Girl adventure: Ladybug Girl at the Beach, by David Soman and Jacky Davis. Lulu loves the beach. Well, she’s never been there before, but she knows she will love it. And then she sees the ocean and it is big and loud and rough. That’s okay-Lulu wanted to build sand castles and fly her kite with Bingo anyway. But while they are building their sand castle, the sneaky ocean comes in and tries to steal Lulu’s favorite pail. This is a job for Ladybug Girl!

What the Ladybug Heard, by Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Lydia Monks. Hefty Hugh and Lanky Len have a cunning plan: they’ll sneak past all the animals and steal the farmer’s fine prize cow. But they forget all about the tiniest, quietest creature on the farm-the ladybug. She has a plan of her own.

Julia Donaldson (author of  The Gruffalo, Room on the Broom, and many other favorites) turns her literary expertise to a farm setting, and comes up with a rollicking barnyard mystery. Lydia Monks’ colorful collage illustrations go perfectly with the story for a winning combination. Readers will quack, neigh, moo, and cheer for the ladybug all the way through!

Book release party including storytime & coloring activities with illustrator Alice io Oglesby. Refreshments and book signing.

EVERYTHING TALKS: You Just Have to Know How to Listen is a colorful picture book celebrating the sounds of the world around us … everything from shells to birds, wind to rocks,volcanos and more.

Author Joseph D’Agnese will be reading and signing Blockhead at Spellbound on Saturday, April 10th at 3:00. If you can’t make it to the event, you can still order signed copies by calling us at 828-232-2228 or clicking below. There will also be a fun, free presentation illustrating Fibonacci’s work predicting patterns in nature. Great for elementary age students (and teachers)!

Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci
by Joseph D’Agnese, ill by John O’Brien,Jr.
suggested for ages 6 to 9
$16.99
Available March 30 2010

Pre-order here:

As a young boy in medieval Italy, Leonardo Fibonacci thought about numbers day and night. He was such a daydreamer that people called him a blockhead. When Leonardo grew up, he realized that many things in nature, from the number of petals on a flower to the spiral of a nautilus shell, seem to follow a certain pattern. He had discovered what came to be known as the Fibonacci sequence!

“D’Agnese’s introduction to medieval Europe’s greatest mathematician offers both a coherent biographical account—spun, with some invented details, from very sketchy historical records—and the clearest explanation to date for younger readers of the numerical sequence that is found throughout nature and still bears his name.”—Booklist

The Jungle Grapevine
by Alex Beard
Suggested for ages 4 to 8
$16.95

Artist Alex Beard talks about his new picture book, The Jungle Grapevine. In the book, Beard brings to life an African savanna filled with humor and misunderstandings.

When Bird mixes up something Turtle says, he accidentally starts a rumor about the watering hole drying up. One misunderstanding leads to another, with animals making their own hilarious assumptions. No one is hearing anything right, and soon the animals are in an uproar from one end of the jungle to the other. Elephant is trumpeting, Croc is snapping, and the Flamingos are fleeing! Beard’s story will have every child wondering if peace can ever be restored in the animal kingdom.

Named one of the Best Books for Children 2009 by the Association of Booksellers for Children, The Jungle Grapevine is available now. $16.95. Suggested for ages 4 to 8.

Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal was named one of the Best Books for Children 2009 by the Association of Booksellers for Children and is available now for $16.99. Suggested for ages 4 to 8.

Read our review on the Book Witches blog.

To order books from the ABC Best Books for Children Catalog, please indicate the number of copies of each book you would like to order. For example:
1 Curious Garden
2 My First ABC
1 BabyMouse: Dragonslayer
etc.

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Author Lois Chazen and illustrator Sundara Fawn, creators of the new picture book Loving Ruby: A True Story, will be at Spellbound on Saturday, November 21st at 2:00pm for a special story time, with free activities and book signing to follow.

Loving Ruby tells the story of a baby cardinal’s rescue, helping kids understand the joy and responsibility of bringing home a baby bird. Filled with facts, photographs, and beautiful illustrations depicting the entire rescue and release of Ruby.

Lois and Ruby

One dollar of every sale of this book is donated to the Defenders of Wildlife.

A 48-page storybook brings to life the lyrics of the song “Chicken Joe.” The accompanying CD features  11 previously released Trout Fishing in America songs which tell the whimsical title story of a cat named Chicken Joe and other fun, nonsensical animals. The four-time Grammy nominated duo, formed by Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet, has earned widespread critical praise.

Click below to see a video trailer of the book:

Song Title Listing:
Chicken Joe  
My Best Day
I Can Dance  
Something Sweet  
It’s a Puzzle  
Fill It Up
Why I Pack My Lunch
La La Land
Boiled Okra and Spinach
Hard Ball  
Count On Me